Automobile door hinge



June 30, 1936. E. B. G. LEFEVRE ,9

' AUTOMOBILE DOOR HINGE I Filed June 22, 1953 5, Sheets-Sheet 1 June 30, 1936. G, LEE-ME 2,045,955

AUTOMOBILE DOOR HINGE Filed June 22, 1955 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 @157 122672? Ex; 5 Glzfezge 1 y MM June E. B. G. LEFEVRE AUTOMOBILE DOOR HINGE 7 Filed June 22, 1953 :5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented June 30, 1936 @unireo STATES AUTOMOBILE DOOR'HINGE Emil B. G. Lefevre, DetroitgMicht ApplicationlJune 22-, 1933, Serial mpsrtoea 1'Claim. (01. 16-164) This invention :relates to hinges capable of general application but particularly designed :for use .on;-automobile doors. Automobile doorsand bodies :are :frequently formed with substantially .5; acurved outer-surfaces,and:theedge of the door must-clear the bodywhen'the-door is opened.

.sItis-t-hegeneral objectof my inventionitopro- =vide improved hinges forsuchpurposes by which .a door may be carried outward as it opens so that when the door is fully open the edge of the door will be substantially awayfrom the outer surface of the bodyon which the door is mounted.

A further object of my invention is to provide .a hinge which is effectively concealed when the 1,5 .doordsshut. I

To the attainment of this object, I provlde a hinge comprising a pair of hinge plates connected .by-ajpair of links which are pivotally connected together. Each link has one end pivoted to one of said plates and the other end guided for sliding movement relatively to the other plate. My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

Preferred forms of my invention are shown in the drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of an automobile, broken away to show one of my improved hinges in operative position;

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the door in open position; a

Fig. 3 is an enlarged plan view of. the hinge and associated parts, taken along the line 33 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but showin the hinge open;

Fig. 5 is a face View of the open hinge, taken along the irregular line 55 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the hinge plates, looking in the direction of the arrow 6 in Fig.

Figs. 7 and 8 are perspective views of the hinge links;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of hinge;

Fig. 10 is a face view of the hinge shown in Fig. 9, taken along the line Ill-l 0 in Fig. 9, and 50 Fig. 11 is a perspective view of one of the links used in the modified construction.

Referring to Fig. 1, I have shown a portion of an automobile body B having a pillar In on which a door D is hinged. I have shown the door as 55 supported by upper and lower hinges indicated igenerally by the letter H and identical tin-construction. 1

Thedetails of construction of the;first-form aof.

-my improved hinge arei'shown in Figs.'?4 1:0 8 i-n- -clusive.

one side thereof and. cam'.pla'tes i6 at ithe top :10 and bottom edges thereof, teach cam ;plat'e being vprovidedflwith a longitudinal ;slot "I1;

A pair pf hinge links 20 .and 2| are provided,

each having endbearingzportions .122 andstubzholding projections 23. at the opposite endsithereof The link 20 .is provided with spaced-intermediate bearing portions 24 and the. rlinkzi2 l" is provided with a :single :intemiediateibearing sportion 25.

When the parts are assembled, hinge pins 30 20 pivotally connect the link bearing portions 22 to the lugs IE on the hinge plates [2, and a pin 32 extends through the intermediate bearing portions 24 and 25, thus pivotally connecting the links 20 and 2| to each other. Studs 33 are driven 25 into recesses in the end projections 23 and project upward and downward therefrom into the cam slots 11.

When the parts are assembled as above described, each link 20 or 2| is directly pivoted to the lugs IS on one of the hinge plates l2 and has a sliding connection through the studs 33 and slots I! to the other hinge plate l2. Also, the two hinge links 20 and 2| are pivotally connected together at their intermediate bearing points 24 and 25 by the pin 32.

' The hinge is shown in its closed position in Fig. 3, and is inserted in associated depressions-formed in the adjacent faces of the pillar 10 and door D, 40 best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This is a matter of great advantage, as cutting away of the pillar I0 or the edge portion of the door D and the consequent weakening of these parts is thus effectively avoided. 45

As the door D is swung open, the cooperative action of the links swings the studs 30 apart, so that the moving hinge plate I2 is swung outward a substantial distance beyond the face of the body B, thus causing the edge of the door'to clear the surface of the body, even when the body and door are substantially curved.

The links 20 and 2| are preferably provided with portions 40 which engage the surfaces of the lugs I5 when the door is opened and thus act interfering with the action of the hinges; It will be further noted that this form of my improved hinge comprises only four parts, two of which are duplicates, and that all of-the parts are T well adapted for production by economical forging, press or casting operations. Referring to-Figs. 9 to 11, I have shown a slightly modified construction in which duplicate hinge plates 60 are connected by duplicate but reversed links 6l. The hinge plates 60 are substantially identical with the plates I! previously described but the connecting links 6| are of somewhat modified construction. V

Each link comprises a bearing portion 62 at one end and a stud-holding projection 63 at the other end, together with an'intermediate bearing portion 64. The parts 62 and 63 are ofiset in the same direction from the intermediate bearing portion and the .parts are so arranged and proportioned that the links may be assembled in reversed relation as clearly. shown in Fig. 10, thus avoiding the use of two different types of connecting links.

Accordingly, the hinge shown in Figs. 9 to 11 is These edges- 1 50 may even overlap to form a windbreak without constructed of a pair of duplicate plates and a pair of duplicate links only, thus requiring only two difierent parts to be manufactured or carried in stock.

This form of hinge differs slightly from that previously described in that the links are substantially straight and that the connecting portions directly engage the bearing portions without the provision of special abutments as in the form previously described. This form of hinge also provides aslightly greater outward displacement of the door as the door is opened.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited l to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as 15 set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:--

A hinge comprising duplicate hinge plates each having spaced bearing lugs and offset upper and lower slotted flanges, a first connecting link pivoted at one end between the lugs of one of said hinge plates and having intermediate bearing portions spaced apart by a central opening in said link, a second connecting link pivoted at one end between the lugs of the other hinge plate and having a relatively narrow intermediate bearing portionrextending through and positioned in said central opening and fitting closely between the spaced bearing portions of said first link, a pivot pin extending through and pivotally connecting said three intermediate bearing portions, each connecting link having a free end portion nearly filling the space between the slotted flanges of the hinge plate to which said link is not pivoted, and means at both extremities of said free end portions extending into and freely slidable in the slots in the associated offset flanges.

EMIL B. G. LEFEVRE. 

